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Disabilities Studies » Overview

Do you want to get involved in your community and support those with disabilities and their families? Your leadership and support can help others.

Disability studies is far from the scientific model of disease. Its core focus is on the socially constructed definitions of ‘disability’ and ‘disease.’ It analyses how minority groups of people are labelled with diseases in comparison to the mainstream way of being. You will study the effect these labels have on people’s identities and how they are perceived by people.

Disability studies is equalled defined by what it’s not. It’s not interested in looking at therapy, cures, or physical differences but the way labels are used to make people with ‘diseases’ feel abnormal. You will look at the affect this has on people’s perceptions of themselves, and the way different groups of people internalise or reject the label of disease.

The study of disability is very multidisciplinary and you will learn look at a disability through various ways of seeing, such as critical race theorists, feminists, historical analyses and human rights arguments.

You will also look at the way policy shapes public perceptions of disabilities and the lives of the ‘disabled.’ Overall, you will learn how difference, should be celebrated, instead of labelled as ‘abnormal.’